Environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system and method of use

ABSTRACT

An environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system includes an ecologically friendly package of highly recyclable material such as one of a metal or glass container with an integral brush applicator; or a paper container with a wax or other oil-resistant, non-permeable interior. The environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system includes a lubricant contained within the package, the lubricant being substantially free of petroleum oil distillates and comprising one of either a lanolin based lubricant which comprises a mixture of lanolin within a carrier, wherein the carrier is a non-drying or semi-non-drying, plant-based oil or a water soluble lubricant comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% of a surfactant which is a soap and 25% to 75% of glycerin.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of Provisional Application Ser. Nos.62/348,373 and 62/411,095 filed Jun. 10, 2016 and Oct. 21, 2016 each ofwhich was entitled “An Environmentally Friendly Bicycle Chain and GearMaintenance System and Method of Use”, which applications areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention

The present invention pertains to bicycle chain and gear maintenance,and more particularly to an environmentally friendly bicycle chain andgear maintenance system and method of use.

Background Information

Regardless of one's political persuasions or religious affiliations,most people agree that it is incumbent upon humans to be good stewardsof the environment. Aside from the health benefits to participants,bicycling is largely agreed to have largely beneficial environmentalimpacts. Bicycles are a very “green” or environmentally friendly meansof human transportation. The term bicycle within this application is notlimited to only a two wheeled vehicle that is its namesake, but ratherto any human powered, chain driven vehicle. Cyclists don't burnnon-renewable fossil fuels in use, and they don't produce air pollutionor other harmful emissions in operation. Additionally, a bicycle takesfar less energy to make than an automobile or other motorized vehicle.

The U.S. Census estimates that about half of all Americans live withinfive miles of their workplace. Those who decided to bike those 5 miles(a little over 8 kilometers) every day rather than driving an averagecar could reduce total household emissions by six percent according to aNational Geographic review of the environment impact of Bicycles(http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/green-guide/buying-guides/bikes/environmental-impact/)Similarly, Australia's Department of Transport and Main Roads calculatedthat the Cycling 10 km (6.2 miles) each way to work would save 1500 kg(3307 lbs) of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Additionally, it hasbeen estimated that about 40 percent of all travel is done within twomiles (3.2 Kilometers) of home, which distances can be accomplished in10 minutes by bike as discussed at length in a paper by Jonita Davis on“The Pros for the Environment of Riding Bikes”http://homeguides.sfgate.com/pros-environment-riding-bikes-79378.html).

Bicycles do have an environmental impact including both theenvironmental impact of producing the bicycle (including shipping andpackaging) and the environmental impact of maintenance and of disposalof the bicycle. It is noted that proper maintenance of a bicycleeffectively decreases environmental disposal impacts via a longerproduct life cycle and an associated delay in the disposal of thebicycle.

For environmentally conscious cyclists there is one aspect of bicyclemaintenance that may be particularly troubling when it is brought totheir attention, and that is chain lubricants. Chain lubricants aretypically formed from petroleum based products, the use of which is whatenvironmentally conscious cyclists are generally attempting to minimize.Further the wear of this material on the chain releases the petroleumbased product directly into the environment. It is estimated that morethan a billion bicycles are present in the world(http://www.worldometers.info/bicycles/). Consequently the dumping ofpetroleum based chain lubricant from each of the more than one billionbicycles in use directly into the environment, in the aggregate, is notinsignificant.

It is an object of the present invention is to provide an effective andenvironmentally friendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is achieved according to oneembodiment of the present invention by providing an environmentallyfriendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system which includes anecologically friendly package of highly recyclable material, such as oneof a metal or glass container, with an integral brush applicator; or aridged or semi-ridged paper container with a wax or other oil-resistant,non-permeable interior. The environmentally friendly bicycle chain andgear maintenance system includes a lubricant contained within thepackage, the lubricant being substantially free of petroleum oildistillates and comprising one of either i) a lanolin based lubricantwhich comprises a mixture of lanolin within a carrier, wherein thecarrier is a non-drying or semi-non-drying, plant-based oil or ii) awater soluble lubricant comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% of asurfactant which is a soap and 25% to 75% of glycerin.

These and other objects, features, and characteristics of the presentinvention, as well as the methods of operation and functions of therelated elements of structure and the combination of parts and economiesof manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of thefollowing description and the appended claims with reference to theaccompanying drawings, all of which form a part of this specification,wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in thevarious figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that thedrawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only andare not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention.

The features that characterize the present invention are pointed outwith particularity in the claims which are part of this disclosure.These and other features of the invention, its operating advantages andthe specific objects obtained by its use will be more fully understoodfrom the following detailed description and the operating examples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an environmentally friendly bicyclechain and gear maintenance system according to one aspect of theinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of an alternative environmentally friendly glasscontainer for the environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gearmaintenance system according to one aspect of the invention; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an environmentally friendly bicyclechain and gear maintenance system according to another aspect of theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention provides an environmentally friendly bicycle chainand gear maintenance system 10. One key aspect of the present inventionis to provide a biodegradable, non-toxic, ecologically friendly bicyclechain lubricant 15 (shown in the glass container 12 of FIG. 2). Thebicycle chain lubricant 15 of the invention is substantially free ofcrude oil or petroleum distillates (i.e., only incidental amounts whichdo not effective properties of the composition, particularly less than0.3% by weight). The bicycle chain lubricant 15 of the invention iseither i) a lanolin based lubricant 15 which comprises a mixture oflanolin oil within a carrier, wherein the carrier is a non-drying orsemi-non-drying, plant-based oil; or ii) a water soluble lubricant 15comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% of a surfactant which is a soap and25% to 75% of glycerin.

Lanolin Based Lubricant

Lanolin, also called wool wax or wool grease, is a wax secreted by thesebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humansgenerally comes from domestic sheep breeds that are raised specificallyfor their wool. Lanolin's role in nature is to protect wool and skinagainst the ravages of climate and the environment; it also seems toplay a role in skin (integumental) hygiene. A typical high purity gradeof lanolin is composed predominantly of long chain waxy esters(approximately 97% by weight) the remainder being lanolin alcohols,lanolin acids and lanolin hydrocarbons.

Lanolin and its many derivatives are used extensively in both thepersonal care (e.g., high value cosmetics, facial cosmetics, lipproducts) and health care sectors. Lanolin is often used as a rawmaterial for producing cholecalciferol using irradiation. (vitamin D₃).Baseball players often use it to soften and break in their baseballgloves (shaving cream with lanolin is popularly used for this).Anhydrous lanolin is also used as a lubricant for brass instrumenttuning slides. Lanolin has been used to create slippery surfaces ontheir propellers and stern gear to which barnacles cannot adhere.Lanolin is also found in rust-preventative coatings and shoe polish. Inlubricant applications Lanolin is generally combined with a petroleumproduct such as in the MX4 LANOX™ brand Lanolin Lubricant from CandanIndustries Pty Ltd.

Crude lanolin constitutes about 5-25% of the weight of freshly shornwool. The wool from one Merino sheep will typically produce about250-300 ml of recoverable wool grease. Lanolin is extracted by washingthe wool in hot water with a special wool scouring detergent to removedirt, wool grease (crude lanolin), suint (sweat salts), and anythingelse stuck to the wool. The wool grease is continuously removed duringthis washing process by centrifugal separators, which concentrate itinto a wax-like substance melting at approximately 38 C (100 F). Thelanolin used in the present invention may be referenced as lanolin oilor sheep oil, which is the liquid phase of processed lanolin.

When lanolin is removed from the freshly shorned wool, it is processedto remove any impurities such as dirt, plant matter, and other foreigndebris. Different purity grades of lanolin result, depending on how muchdebris is removed. To insure that the lubricant of the current inventionis non-toxic, the current invention perferably utilizes lanolin oilwhich meets or exceeds the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) standard.USP grade lanolin is acceptable for food, drug, or medicinal use. Themeaning of “meets or exceeds the United States Pharmacopeia (USP)standard” means those standards in existence at the time of this filing.

As noted above, the bicycle chain lubricant 15 for use in the system 10of the invention maybe a mixture of lanolin oil within a carrier,wherein the carrier is a non-drying or semi-non-drying, plant-based oil.Non-drying oils do not harden when exposed to air, while semi-non-dryingoils harden very slowly or only partially when exposed to air. Lanolinoil by itself is a thick, sticky, drying oil, hardening over time.Adding a non-drying or semi-non-drying oil lowers the viscosity of thelanolin oil allowing it to be applied more easily, and it also helps toprevent the lanolin oil from hardening, keeping it in a liquid state.

A plant-based oil is a triglyceride extracted from a plant. Atriglyceride (TG, triacylglycerol, TAG, or triacylglyceride) is an esterderived from glycerol and three fatty acids. The phrase “plant-basedoil” is defined herein as referring only to plant oils that are liquidat room temperature. The present invention preferably utilizes canolaoil, which at over 27 million metric tons consumed per year, representsone of the three most consumed vegetable oils (Palm oil exceeds 40million metric tons consumed per year). In addition to canola oil, soybean oil, palm oil, rapeseed oil, peanut oil, sunflower seed, cottonseedoil, palm kernel (from the seed of the Africa palm tree), coconut oil,olive oil and mixtures thereof are possible plant-based oil carriers forthe mixture of the present invention.

The lanolin oil is present in the mixture in about 5% by weight to about50% by weight. The plant-based oil, or mixture of plant based oils, ispresent in the mixture in about 50% by weight to about 95% by weight.One composition of the bicycle chain lubricant 15 of the invention foreveryday use for bicycles (including electric bicycles) comprises amixture of 20% by weight lanolin oil and 80% by weight canola oil. Onecomposition of the bicycle chain lubricant 15 of the invention forroad/racing bicycles comprises a mixture of 22% by weight lanolin oiland 78% by weight canola oil. One composition of the bicycle chainlubricant 15 of the invention for mountain bicycles comprises a mixtureof 25% by weight lanolin oil and 75% by weight canola oil. Onecomposition of the bicycle chain lubricant 15 of the invention isdesignated as an extra thick composition and comprises a mixture of 40%by weight lanolin oil and 60% canola oil by weight.

Water Soluble Lubricant

As noted above the bicycle chain lubricant 15 may be a water solublelubricant comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% by weight of a surfactantwhich is a soap, particularly a liquid soap, and 25% to 75% by weight ofglycerin. Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension (orinterfacial tension) between two liquids (or technically also between aliquid and a solid).

Soap is generally a cleansing agent created by the chemical reaction ofa fatty acid with an alkali metal hydroxide. Soaps, in cleaningapplications, generally act as surfactants, emulsifying oils to enablethem to be carried away by water. Soaps are generally obtained bytreating vegetable or animal oils and fats with a strong base, such assodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, often in an aqueous solution.

Fats and oils are composed of triglycerides; three molecules of fattyacids attach to a single molecule of glycerol. The alkaline solution,which is often called lye (although the term “lye soap” refers almostexclusively to soaps made with sodium hydroxide), brings about achemical reaction known as saponification. Vegetable oils and animalfats are the main materials that are “saponified”. Triglycerides can beconverted to soap in either a one- or a two-step process generally knownin the art.

The present invention preferably utilizes an oil, particularlysubstantially a plant based oil, in a saponification process to form thesoap used in the water soluble lubricant 15 used in the system 10 of thepresent invention, and as noted above the phrase “plant-based oil” isdefined herein as referring only to plant oils that are liquid at roomtemperature. Palm oil is the preferred plant based oil in asaponification process to form the soap used in the water solublelubricant of the present invention. Palm oil based liquid soap has along history in the United States and the world. In 1898, the B.J.Johnson Company was making a liquid soap entirely of palm oil and oliveoil, the formula of which was developed by the company, and sold underthe now famous PALMOLIVE® brand name.

“Liquid Soap” goes back further than the PALMOLIVE brand, to at least an1865 U.S. Pat. No 49,561 to William Sheppard, which liquid soapformulation is not quite practical for the present invention. U.S. Pat.No. 121,930 to Dominick Cardulo, from 1871, discloses a method ofmanufacturing a liquid Castile soap (“Castile” soap is a plant oil basedsoap, traditionally olive oil) using “pure castile soap” and almond oiltogether with glycerin and water. U.S. Pat. No. 236,926 from 1881discloses a plant oil based liquid soap using a blend of olive, cottonseed, “earth nut, or other oils extracted from oleaginous seeds,saponified with lyes of soda.” U.S. Pat. No. 475,413 discloses a processfor making a coconut oil (or “cocoanut-oil”) based liquid soap. Thereare many other patents and publications on methods of making liquid soapand there exist a number of on-line tutorials for making liquid soap.The process of soap making, including liquid soap, is believed to bewell known to those in the art.

The soap used as a surfactant in the water soluble lubricant 15 of thepresent invention is preferably a liquid soap, which within the meaningof this application is a soap that is a liquid at room temperature. Thesoap is typically in an aqueous solution or mixture, however it ispossible to eliminate water from the liquid soap such as by usingglycerin in its manufacture. The non-aqueous liquid soaps used in thepresent invention will be water soluble. Palm oil is preferred for usein the present invention due to the cost effective supply of both palmoil and palm oil liquid soap and the resulting properties of the soapand the resulting lubricant, as well as the ease in manufacturing aliquid soap and ease of manufacturing the mixture of the invention.

Palm oil may be blended with other plant based oils in the presentinvention such as, in particular olive oil, as found in commerciallyavailable liquid soaps, or lanolin as discussed below, or both.Preferably the blended palm oil soap which is present in the lubricant15 mixture of the invention in amounts of 25% to 75% by weight willcontain at least 50% Palm oil by weight of the oil forming the soap.Soap having at least 50% Palm oil by weight of the oil forming the soapand containing at least one other oil (such as olive oil or lanolin orboth) will be referenced as a Palm oil blend soap.

Other commonly available plant oils may be used such as coconut oil. Forexample Coconut Vegetable Soap brand is a basic, natural soap made froma blend of fine grade coconut and other vegetable oils and is availablefrom JTM Products 31025 Carter Street, Solon, Ohio 44139. Pure CoconutOil Soap is also available from Nutribiotic, Inc.

There are a number of plant based oils that have been used in soapmaking that are also possible for use, alone or in combination, informing the soap used in the lubricant 15 of the present invention.These include, in addition to the palm oil and coconut oil listed above,Almond Oil (Also called Sweet Almond Oil or SAO), Apricot Kernel Oil (afavorite choice oil for many professional massage therapists), AvocadoOil (a costly alternative), Canola Oil (also known as lear oil and comesfrom rapeseed, a member of the mustard family and a cost effectivechoice), Castor Oil, Cocoa Butter (a costly choice); Corn Oil,Cottonseed oil, Grapeseed Oil, Hempseed Oil, (cost is prohibitive),Jojoba oil, Meadowfoam Oil, Neem Oil , Olive Oil, Palm Kernel Oil (madefrom the kernels of the palm tree), Shea Butter, Soybean Oil, andSunflower Oil. As noted above with palm oil and olive oil, it is wellknown to utilize combinations of these oils in a soap, including inliquid soaps.

In another alternative to the present invention, Lanolin, may becombined with plant based oils, such as palm oil, in forming the soap,particularly the liquid soap, utilized as the surfactant in thelubricant 15 of the present invention. The Lanolin may preferably beused in in amounts of 2%-10% weight of the oil forming the soap with90-98% by weight of the oil forming the soap being formed of plant basedoils, such as in particular palm oil and palm oil blends.

The soaps described above are natural soaps, but there are known“synthetic soaps” or synthetic detergents (in some fields the termdetergent is used to define synthetic detergents and natural detergentsare soap) that may be a surfactant in the present invention. The naturalsoaps above are preferred but a synthetic compound could be acceptableprovided the synthetic detergent or soap substitute is formed as acompound that is free of petroleum and petroleum distillates such thatit is not a byproduct of petroleum. It is further desired that any suchsynthetic compound not be formed using any fossil fuels, or fossil fuelderivatives, as a substantive component thereof.

As noted above the lubricant of the present invention may be a watersoluble lubricant 15 comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% by weight of asurfactant which is a soap, particularly a liquid soap, and 25% to 75%by weight of glycerin. Glycerin (also called Glycerol and glycerine) isa simple polyol compound. The glycerol backbone is found in alltriglycerides. Glycerol has three hydroxyl groups that are responsiblefor its solubility in water and its hygroscopic nature. Glycerin iswidely available and highly cost effective.

Glycerins role is as an anti-drying agent and, secondarily as alubricant. Other anti-drying agents which have lubrication propertiesmay be utilized provided they are free of petroleum and petroleumdistillates wherein the anti-drying agent is not a byproduct ofpetroleum. It is further desired that any such alternative anti-dryingagent have lubrication properties similar to glycerin (i.e. within 20%of the lubricity of glycerin) further it is preferred that anyalternative anti-drying agent not be formed using any fossil fuels, orfossil fuel derivatives, as a substantive component thereof.

Examples of the present invention include a first water solublelubricant 15 according to the invention formed with a mixture of 25% byweight of a surfactant which is a soap, namely a aqueous based liquidpalm oil blend soap, and 75% by weight of glycerin; a second watersoluble lubricant 15 according to the invention formed with a mixture of50% by weight of a surfactant which is a soap, namely a aqueous basedliquid palm oil blend soap, and 50% by weight of glycerin; and a thirdwater soluble lubricant 15 according to the invention formed with amixture of 75% by weight of a surfactant which is a soap, namely aaqueous based liquid palm oil blend soap, and 25% by weight of glycerin.All three examples formed excellent bicycle chain lubricants 15 in fieldtesting. Additionally the soap as the surfactant will act as a lubricantduring lubrication and as an inherent detergent during removal, possiblywith only water.

Use

The above compositions for the bicycle chain lubricants 15 of thepresent invention yields an effective, non-toxic, bio-degradable,ecofriendly bicycle chain lubricant 15. Soap (preferably an earthfriendly soap) and water can be used for chain degreasing with the chainlubricant 15 composition of the present invention. The water solublelubricant 15 version of the present invention may only require the useof water and wiping the chain or other components with a drying cloth.The replacement of the petroleum based lubricant is a significantecological advantage representing a 1 for 1 or 100% petroleumreplacement. Further the elimination of the need and the use ofpetroleum degreasers yields a greater than 1 for 1 or greater than 100%petroleum replacement. In other words the ecofriendly bicycle chainlubricant 15 of the present invention replaces an equal amount ofpetroleum lubricant plus an additional amount of petroleum baseddegreasers.

Ecofriendly Packaging

The rise in environmental consciousness in recent decades has included afocus on waste. Packaging has come to symbolize the issue of waste. Ithas expanded rapidly in recent times; most adults today remember growingup in a world that used much less packaging. Perhaps most important ofall, packaging feels wasteful: used once and then promptly discarded, itseems like only an ephemeral presence in our lives as it rushes fromfactory to landfill. Yet packaging remains ubiquitous; it is impossibleto imagine an urban, industrial society functioning without it.

The present invention has designed the bicycle chain and gearmaintenance system 10 following sustainable packaging concepts.Sustainable packaging is the development and use of packaging whichresults in improved sustainability. This involves increased use of lifecycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle assessment (LCA) to help guide theuse of packaging which reduces the environmental impact and ecologicalfootprint. It includes a look at the whole of the supply chain: frombasic function, to marketing, and then through to end of life (LCA) andrebirth. Additionally, an eco-cost to value ratio can be useful. Thegoals are to improve the long term viability and quality of life forhumans and the longevity of natural ecosystems. Sustainable packagingmust meet the functional and economic needs of the present withoutcompromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.Sustainability is not necessarily an end state but is a continuingprocess of improvement. The sustainable packaging concepts have beenused in the present invention to develop an ecologically friendlypackage of highly recyclable material (that is greater than 95% of thepackaging by weight is easily recyclable, such as paper, metal andglass) such as one of a metal or glass container 12 with an integralbrush applicator 14; or a paper container 16 with a wax or otheroil-resistant, non-permeable interior.

Metal, particularly steel, is a highly recyclable material. According tothe Steel Recycling Institute, more steel is recycled every year thanpaper, plastic, glass and aluminum put together. Thus a steelcan/container 12 with a steel screw on or threaded lid 18 having thebrush applicator 14 for the container 12 is a particularly advantageousecologically friendly container 12. The lid 18 has internal threadsmatching external threads of the container 12. A label 20 of recycledpaper is also useful. The applicator 14 is preferably a horse hair brushcoupled directly to the lid 18 to integrate these elements in a known“brush-in-can” configuration. A brush applicator 14 is a very effectivelubricant application mechanism and results in less waste than some“spray on” applicators. A seal or gasket 22 may be added inside the lid18 to minimize leakage in shipping and storage, but tight tolerancecontainers 12 can avoid this additional element. If provided, the seal22 may be formed of bio-degradable rubbers, or recycled cardboard orpaper to minimize the ecological impact of the seal 22. Minimizing thesize of the seal 22, if present, may also an important aspect of thisdesign. The horse hair brush applicator 14, or other natural fiber brushconstruction is also generally known in the art and the use of naturalfibers is preferred over synthetic fibers.

Steel containers such as shown by container 12 of FIG. 1 can also berefilled and used indefinitely for a further ecological advantage. Asnoted steel is easily recycled, however if the used steel container 12of the invention is inadvertently sent to a landfill the time that ittakes to decompose is far less than a conventional equivalent plasticcontainer which decomposition time can be measured in centuries or evenmillennia. It is worth noting here that any of the non-toxicbiodegradable lubricant 15 remaining such a discarded steel container 12would also not pose detrimental aspects to the environment, which iscertainly not true for conventional petroleum based chain lubricants.For all of these reasons steel containers 12 are one preferredembodiment for the ecologically friendly package of highly recyclablematerial of the present invention.

Glass is also a highly recyclable. When glass is used for new containermanufacturing, it is virtually infinitely recyclable. The processing anduse of recycled glass in manufacturing conserves raw materials, andreduces energy consumption. Thus a glass container 12 such as shown inFIG. 2 coupled with a steel screw on lid 18 with integral applicator 14as shown in FIG. 1 for the container 12 is another particularlyadvantageous ecologically friendly container. A label 20 of recycledpaper as shown in FIG. 1 is also useful for the glass container 12 aswell. The steel lid and integral natural fiber applicator is asdiscussed above.

Single use containers also serve a viable ecological purpose allowingusers to obtain only that lubricant they are going to use in the nearfuture. The present invention also contemplates a single use papercontainer 16 as shown in FIG. 3 with a wax or other oil-resistantnon-permeable interior in which the paper container 16 is utilized asthe applicator for the lubricant 15 after the container 16 is breachedor opened (e.g., the top torn off or torn partially open). It ispreferred if the paper of container 16 is ridged or semi-ridged to helpthe user control the rate at which the lubricant 15 is squeezed out, andalso to ensure that the majority of the lubricant 15 is expelled fromthe container 16, by fully collapsing the container 16. Paper is also ahighly recyclable material, and again if the used paper container 16 isinadvertently sent to a landfill the time that it takes to decompose isfar less than a conventional equivalent plastic container, which ismeasured in centuries or even millennia.

The above described system 10 provides an environmentally friendlymethod of bicycle chain and gear maintenance. The significant steps ofthe environmentally friendly method of bicycle chain and gearmaintenance include: first, selecting an ecologically friendly package12 of highly recyclable material comprising one of i) a metal or glasscontainer 12 with an integral brush applicator 14 and lid 18; or ii)paper container 16 with a wax or other oil-resistant, non-permeableinterior; second, providing a lubricant 15 contained within the package12, the lubricant 15 being substantially free of petroleum oildistillates and comprising one of either i) a lanolin based lubricant 15which comprises a mixture of lanolin within a carrier, wherein thecarrier is a non-drying or semi-non-drying, plant-based oil or ii) awater soluble lubricant 15 comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% of asurfactant which is a soap and 25% to 75% of glycerin; and third atleast once or periodically lubricating a bicycle chain with thelubricant 15.

The lubrication step preferably includes the cyclist first cleaning thechain and drivetrain with an earth friendly cleaner to remove dirt anddebris and any remaining prior manufacturer's lubricant. Once the chainand drivetrain are clean the biodegradable, non-toxic lubricant 15 isapplied. The steel can and glass container 12 include the integralnatural fiber brush applicator 14 to assist application to theindividual links of the chain and to the front and rear cogs and to therear derailleur cogs. In one lubricant 15 version, the lanolin oil andthe carrier of the biodegradable, non-toxic lubricant 15 of theinvention are both lubricants in a conventional sense, thus 100% of themixture of the lubricant 15 is a lubricant allowing minimal amounts ofthe mixture to effectively lubricate the bicycle components. In analternative lubricant 15 version, the soap and glycerin of thebiodegradable, non-toxic lubricant 15 of the invention are also bothlubricants in the conventional sense of the term, thus, again 100% ofthe mixture forming lubricant 15 is a lubricant allowing minimal amountsof the mixture to effectively lubricate the bicycle components. Thepaper and wax, or other oil-resistant, non-permeable interior of thesingle use container 16 also help the user apply the lubricant 15 inthat container embodiment of the present invention. After theapplication of the lubricant 15, the user should wait for a few minutes,then wipe of any excess lubricant 15 with a clean cotton cloth, thentake the bicycle for a very quick ride and again wipe of any excesslubricant.

The bicycle chain and gear maintenance biodegradable, non-toxiclubricant 15 provides rust proofing and anti-corrosion to the chain anddrivetrain. The lubricants 15 disclosed herein can easily handle dirt,grit, grime, water, sand, mud, plant matter and the like that bicyclechains are exposed to on a regular basis. Further the environmentallyfriendly aspects of the design allow the ecology minded cyclist to morefully enjoy the cycling experience and to more fully extoll theenvironmentally helpful aspects of cycling. The system 10 is a USDAcertified biobased product and meets US EPA “Safer Product Standards”.The system 10 provides the only known EPA SAFER CHOICE® and USDABIOPREFERRED® designated bike chain lubricant.

It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that variousmodifications to the present invention may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. An environmentally friendly bicycle chain andgear maintenance system comprising An ecologically friendly packagecomprising one of i) A metal or glass container with an integral brushapplicator; or ii) A paper container with a wax or other oil-resistantnon-permeable interior; and a lubricant contained within the package,the lubricant being substantially free of petroleum oil distillates andcomprising one of either i) a lanolin based lubricant which comprises amixture of lanolin within a carrier, wherein the carrier is a non-dryingor semi-non-drying, plant-based oil or ii) a water soluble lubricantcomprising a mixture of 25% to 75% of a surfactant which is a soap and25% to 75% of glycerin.
 2. The environmentally friendly bicycle chainand gear maintenance system according to claim 1 wherein theecologically friendly package is a steel can.
 3. The environmentallyfriendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system according to claim 2wherein the steel can has a screw-on lid with an integral horse hairapplicator brush.
 4. The environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gearmaintenance system according to claim 3 wherein the ecologicallyfriendly package is a steel can.
 5. The environmentally friendly bicyclechain and gear maintenance system according to claim 4 wherein a lanolinbased lubricant is provided and the lanolin oil is present in thelanolin oil based lubricant mixture in about 5% by weight to about 50%by weight.
 6. The environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gearmaintenance system according to claim 5 wherein the plant-based oil ispresent in the lanolin oil based lubricant mixture in about 50% byweight to about 95% by weight.
 7. The environmentally friendly bicyclechain and gear maintenance system according to claim 6 wherein theplant-based oil is canola oil and is present in the lanolin oil basedlubricant mixture in about 60% by weight to about 80% by weight.
 8. Theenvironmentally friendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance systemaccording to claim 7 wherein the lanolin oil is present in the lanolinoil based lubricant mixture in about 20% by weight to about 25% byweight.
 9. The environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gearmaintenance system according to claim 1 wherein the lubricant includeslanolin.
 10. The environmentally friendly bicycle chain and gearmaintenance system according to claim 1 wherein a water solublelubricant comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% of a surfactant which is asoap and 25% to 75% of glycerin is provided.
 11. The environmentallyfriendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system according to claim 10wherein the soap forming the water soluble mixture has at least 50% Palmoil by weight of the oil forming the soap.
 12. The environmentallyfriendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system according to claim 10claim 1 wherein the lubricant includes lanolin.
 13. The environmentallyfriendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance system according to claim 12wherein the ecologically friendly package is a glass container having ascrew-on lid with an integral horse hair applicator brush.
 14. Theenvironmentally friendly bicycle chain and gear maintenance systemaccording to claim 12 wherein the lanolin meets or exceeds United StatesPharmacopeia (USP) standards.
 15. The environmentally friendly bicyclechain and gear maintenance system according to claim 1 wherein theecologically friendly package is a single use paper container with a waxor other oil-resistant non-permeable interior.
 16. An environmentallyfriendly lubricant, the lubricant being substantially free of petroleumoil distillates and comprising one of either i) a lanolin basedlubricant which comprises a mixture of lanolin within a carrier, whereinthe carrier is a non-drying or semi-non-drying, plant-based oil, or ii)a water soluble lubricant comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% of asurfactant which is a soap and 25% to 75% of glycerin.
 17. Theenvironmentally lubricant according to claim 16 wherein a water solublelubricant comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% of a surfactant which is asoap and 25% to 75% of glycerin is provided, and wherein the soapforming the water soluble mixture has at least 50% Palm oil by weight ofthe oil forming the soap.
 18. The environmentally friendly lubricantaccording to claim 17 wherein the lubricant includes lanolin.
 19. Theenvironmentally friendly lubricant according to claim 18 including alanolin based lubricant which comprises a mixture of lanolin within acarrier, wherein the carrier is a non-drying or semi-non-drying,plant-based oil.
 20. An environmentally friendly method of bicycle chainand gear maintenance comprising the steps of: A) Selecting anecologically friendly package of highly recyclable material comprisingone of i) A metal or glass container with an integral brush applicator;or ii) A paper container with a wax or other oil-resistant,non-permeable interior; B) Providing a lubricant contained within thepackage, the lubricant being substantially free of petroleum oildistillates and comprising one of either i) a lanolin based lubricantwhich comprises a mixture of lanolin within a carrier, wherein thecarrier is a non-drying or semi-non-drying, plant-based oil or ii) awater soluble lubricant comprising a mixture of 25% to 75% of asurfactant which is a soap and 25% to 75% of glycerin; Lubricating abicycle chain with the lanolin oil based lubricant.